Epiphany: The Presence of Christ​January 7 - February 11, 2018

February 11, 2018 - Epiphany 6"The Presence of Christ: Believing is Seeing"Scripture: John 9:1-41The Man Born Blind is a complex situation. So much of modern Christianity is saturated with a kind of sentimentality that is difficult to overcome. One of the easiest ways to overcome that is to simply read the stories. Here, the Man Born Blind does not end up in a better situation because he can see. He loses everything. Things go from great to worse; he doesn't even get a chance to enjoy his new-found sight. This is because faith and understanding and the vision that arises from that commitment makes things harder sometimes, not easier. This is because following Jesus is hard work, and the world makes it hard for us. Sometimes, we just need to believe until we see. Sermon above, audio below. ​Peace and grace! Pastor Seth

February 4, 2018 - Epiphany 5"The Presence of Christ: Have a Drink on Me" Scripture: John 4:1-42Tradition has it that the Woman at the Well is a sinner who is in need of Jesus' forgiveness. Aren't we all?But the problem is...Jesus never says this of her, John never suggests this, and forgiveness is never given and received in this story. We put a lot of baggage on the Woman at the Well. She is carrying a lot more than just water in our imaginations. Instead, I think this is a story about loneliness and how the living water of Christ is the fabric that re-creates and restores community. Why? Because that is what happens in the story. It is the promise of living water that brings the Samaritan people into fellowship with the Woman at the Well, and with Jesus, a Jew. And as John says, Jews have nothing in common with Samaritans. Just the audio this week. ​Peace and grace! Pastor Seth

January 21, 2018 - Epiphany 3"The Presence of Christ: Flipping Tables is Always an Option"Scripture: John 2:13-25Jesus chases out animals and money-changers in our story today - with whips, even!This is a wild moment in Jesus' ministry, and there are many directions one can go, but I think the best approach is to:1: Take John at his word and see this as some sort of sign, and 2: See Jesus' actions in the broad tradition of the Prophets. Prophets are often like performance artists, and performance artists are often what are called 'culture-jammers'. A 'culture-jammer' is someone who brings something we take for granted to a grinding halt for the sake of a larger message. This is what Jesus is doing today. I won't explain anymore, and will let the sermon do that. You can read it above, or listen below, or both. Peace and grace to all! Pastor Seth

January 14, 2018 - Epiphany 2"The Presence of Christ: Do What Your Mom Tells You"Scripture: John 2:1-11The Wedding at Cana is one of my very favorite stories in all of Scripture. There is so much going on in this story and it allows our spiritual imagination to reach far and wide. And it should do that. The stories of the Bible, and especially those about Jesus, should open our lives, our imaginations, and our dreams to the greater glory of God. And indeed, the miracle at Cana is said to be exactly that - a sign of the glories of God. The audio is linked here. No PDF this week. ​Peace and grace to all! Pastor Seth

January 7, 2018 - Epiphany 1"The Presence of Christ: Come and See"Scripture: John 1:35-51Jesus tells the new disciples to "come and see" what God is up to in this new world. The new disciples tell even newer disciples to "come and see" what Jesus, the Messiah, is doing in Israel. We are called to "come and see" and to also bring others to come and see as well. It seems like an easy and straight-forward teaching, but as with so many of Jesus' teachings, things are a little deeper and more nuanced than we expect. Come and See!​Just audio this week. Peace and Grace, and Happy New Year! Pastor Seth